


A Life Hanging in the Balance

by SomeonetheElusiveFangirl



Series: Inspired Works [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: If You Squint - Freeform, Injured Lance (Voltron), Inspired By Tumblr, M/M, Or not, Post-Battle, Pre-Season/Series 03, Read Author's Notes, alternative endings, injured keith, inspired by writing inspired by art, klance, one with major character death, recovering, very vague descriptions of pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-26
Packaged: 2019-04-28 00:46:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14437818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomeonetheElusiveFangirl/pseuds/SomeonetheElusiveFangirl
Summary: Lance and Keith are severely injured after a raid on a Galra base turns into an ambush. With the two of them unable to call the others for help, they have to rely on the rest of the paladins finding them, but will they be in time?You know what people say: you don't know what you have until it's gone...





	1. Dead to the World

**Author's Note:**

> ****IMPORTANT****
> 
> Firstly, before you go any further I HIGHLY advise you read the writing by [@writing-in-a-daydream](http://writing-in-a-daydream.tumblr.com/) and see the art (unfortunately I could not find original artist - please let me know if you do) in [the post which inspired this mini ficlet](https://someonetheelusivefangirl.tumblr.com/post/163998508748/writing-in-a-daydream-levi-and-thetitan-okay) since this is a follow-up to the writing.
> 
> Secondly, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, I wrote two different endings. The good ending is in Chapter 1, the bad ending is in Chapter 2, which is identical in every way, apart from the ending. The only difference is the last few lines, but I wanted to separate the two so people could choose which one they read (hint: this is the reason I chose to not give archive warnings - because they don't apply to the good ending).

At some point Keith must’ve blacked out, as the next thing he knew, a jarring pain ripped through his chest as he bounced up and down. Head clouded with pain and unconsciousness still clawing at his mind, Keith could only just about recognise the jostling as him being carried. A groan hissed through his lips after a particularly bad jolt and he heard voices from above him. Their words were lost on him as he tried to quell the nausea rising in him. He knew there was something he should ask, it was on the tip of his tongue, something he _needed_ to know! ….Urghhh! Damn, what was it?! His mind was muddled, thoughts scattering as sounds seeped in and out of his awareness. He focused on his pain, the constant throb and ache grounding his thoughts, letting him piece his mind back together.

They’d been doing a raid when the Galra had ambushed them. The attack had come from nowhere and they had been left scattered, unable to reach their lions. Keith remembered their need to regroup, and how relieved he’d been when he’d found Lance- Lance! _Quiznak!_ How did he forget?! Was he with them? Keith could still see his crumpled form. Broken. Twisted. Still. But- but that didn’t have to mean-

He could feel his panic building, shallow breaths coming even shorter. He choked, teeth clenching at the pain that shot through his chest. This wasn’t the time for panicking, he needed to know that Lance was alright. Because he was. There wasn’t any other possibility, not with Lance.

He tried to speak, to call out to whoever was carrying him, but his mouth wouldn’t move, lips stiff and numb, unable to form the shapes he needed. In the end he could only wheeze, but as the jostling continued, he realised he hadn’t caught their attention.

Keith couldn’t pin down where the pain was coming from; he hurt all over, though some parts were blissfully numb. Whether that was actually a _good_ thing didn’t even cross his mind because he needed to know or at the very least _hear_ that Lance was alright. He tried to move his arms and legs, only to realise he couldn’t feel his right arm at all. However, he felt his other arm twitch, and with renewed determination, tried to move it more. He _had_ to get their attention. Keith tried to raise his hand, hoping the gesture would be enough, whilst praying he could stay conscious as pain spiked through his arm. After far too long, his hand finally started to raise, but immediately Keith’s arm began to burn. He clenched his jaw. It was fine. This was nothing. He could do this, he _had_ to.

He kept pulling his hand higher, waiting, _waiting_ for them to notice. Keith could feel his nausea returning as the struggle continued, his mind becoming hazy as exhaustion weighed down on him. He just had to last a little longer, just a bit more, then he could stop. His palm was still grazing against his armour. He couldn’t believe how little he had raised it.

Just as he finally lifted his hand from his stomach, the person carrying him adjusted their grip, rocking him slightly sideways, dislodging his arm which slipped to hang by his side. A broken cry was torn from throat as his chest screamed in agony. A voice sounded above him, louder and more frantic than before. Well, at least it had gotten their attention, but, Keith realised with dismay, it no longer mattered as his head suddenly clouded over and darkness engulfed him.

* * *

The first thing that he became aware of was a whirring, which was quickly replaced by the _swoosh_ of something sliding away. His body fell, released from its suspension, and Keith’s reflexes kicked in as his legs fumbled to keep himself upright. His eyes felt heavy as he opened them, a throbbing ache in his head starting as he heard voices sound from all around him, too jumbled for him to piece into sentences. He brought up his hand to rub against his brow in a futile attempt to stop his headache, the sight of his right arm sending a bizarre flood of relief through him.

“Enough, everyone! Give him space!” Keith’s eyes finally focused on the group around him, all eyes briefly on Shiro after his exclamation before they all snapped to back to Keith. He straightened up, his lips pulling into a small smile as he saw the concern in his team’s eyes.

“Hey,” he croaked, his throat itching with thirst. As if reading his mind, Pidge held a drink pouch out to him. He stepped forward to reach for it, only for his leg to collapse beneath him at the movement. He tensed for the fall, but two arms steadied him, Coran adjusting his grip so that Keith’s arm draped over his neck. Keith smiled gratefully at him as he finally took the drink. Having soothed his throat, Keith looked up again at them all. He had obviously just come out of a cryo-pod, the room and suit enough of a clue, but why? How long had he been in one?

“What happened?” Keith watched as the others flinched at his question, his brows furrowing in alarm, which only grew when no one immediately answered. “ _What?_ What is it?!” He looked to them all in turn, taking in their tired faces and slumped backs. His gaze settled on Shiro.

“Maybe you should get something to eat first. You’ve been out a while…” Keith stubbornly continued to stare Shiro down, the pull of his brows telling him that his glare was firmly in place. He watched as Shiro’s resolve finally crumbled, a heavy sigh leaving him as he broke eye contact. “The last mission didn’t go to plan. At all,” he started, voice laden with guilt. Keith softened his glare, knowing just how responsible Shiro always felt for the team.

“We were surrounded; the Galra separated us before we could react,” Pidge continued, catching Keith’s attention. As he turned, his eyes passed over Allura and Hunk. He frowned. Something wasn’t right.

He listened as they all began to recount the mission, his mind slowly waking up as they spoke. Meanwhile, his eyes continued to roam between them all. He was starting to remember the mission, bits and pieces of the battle flashing in his head as the others finally quietened.

“We eventually found the two of you-” _Two…? …! Lance!_ Where was Lance?!

“He’s-” Keith realised he must’ve shouted out the last question as he looked around to the other cryo-pods, dislodging himself from Coran, who immediately stopped speaking. Empty. All of them.

“Where is he?!” he snapped, turning back to the others, who all looked at him with wide eyes.

“Keith-!”

“Why isn’t he here?! He was _injured!_ ”

“Keith, buddy-” Keith moved away from Hunk’s slow advance. He didn’t need to be comforted, he needed answers.

“Just tell me where he is!”

“He’s not here, he’s-” Keith loomed over Pidge, grabbing her shoulder as he waited for her to finish.

“He’s, what?!” he asked, voice raising as his fear spiked. What did she mean “he’s not here”? “Where is he?!”

 _“KEITH!”_ Strong arms pulled him back and he struggled weakly against the hold. “Keith you need to calm down!” Shiro’s voice was stern and low, almost threatening in tone. “If you’d stop and _listen_ you’d know.” Keith took a shaky breath and tried to still his shaking, with little with success. After a few seconds of dreadful silence, Shiro released his hold and Keith turned slowly to face him.

“Lance is alive.” All the breath left Keith in an instant, the tension finally leaving him as his heart rate finally slowed from its thundering. Lance was alive. He was _alive_. The image of his body laying before him froze him for a second. When Keith had regained his composure, he looked back up at Shiro.

“Why isn’t he here?”

“He was,” Allura replied, causing Keith to twist around once more.

“He’s healed?!” he asked incredulously, the final dregs of fear trickling away.

“His wounds are closed and he’s breathing…” Keith immediately caught onto her wording. Something was still wrong.

“Where is he?” Allura opened her mouth to respond, but Hunk suddenly stepped forward.

“Maybe it’s better to show you?” After a few moments Allura sighed before nodding, turning back to Keith.

“Come, but I’ll warn you, he’s not… he’s not _with_ us.” Keith followed after her, unease growing as they made their way through the corridors, deeper into the Castle until they reached the hallway to their bedrooms. Allura brought up her hand to open Lance’s door, but stilled, glancing back at Keith once more before typing the code in. No one made any move to enter, instead motioning for Keith to go in. His eyes immediately locked onto Lance, his brow furrowing as he took in his outfit and the small device running across his chest.

“Guys, what…?”

“Keith,” it was Pidge again, “he- he’s in a coma. He won’t wake up…”

Keith stared as he tried to process the words. He turned back to Lance, taking slow steps forward, his legs carrying him clumsily to Lance’s bedside. Small white scars were scattered over his face, his limbs were all intact, his breathing deep and slow. For all intents and purposes, Lance was sleeping peacefully, his face soft and relaxed, no pain tensing his muscles nor contorting his expression. He reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder.

Keith thought vaguely that he heard his name being called, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Lance. The sleeping Lance, because surely this was just some joke, a bad prank that had gotten way out of hand. Keith gently rocked Lance’s shoulder, eyes fixed to his face watching, waiting for any sign of consciousness. He shook him slightly firmer, but there was still no response. He was just a deep sleeper, right?

“Hey, Lance.” Another shake. “Lance, that’s enough, this isn’t funny anymore.” Again. “Lance, come on, wake up!” Not a twitch, nor a sound came. Keith startled as a hand came to rest on his shoulder, he turned to find Hunk’s pained grimace.

“Keith, he won't…he’s not waking up, _yet_. Come on, you ought to eat.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry, we’ve got monitors to let us know the moment something changes,” he explained, gesturing at the device on Lance’s chest. Keith looked back down at Lance, but didn’t resist Hunk’s gentle guiding to the door and down to the dining room where he was sat down, a meal set before him. Keith felt like he couldn’t eat, mind still trying to process everything, yet his meal disappeared quicker than normal as he inhaled it.

After the meal, he ignored the other’s suggestions to rest and returned to Lance’s room, seating himself on the floor beside the bed. At some point, Shiro walked in pushing a chair, only pausing for a few seconds to lay his hand on Keith’s shoulder before leaving the two of them alone again.

The quiet buzzing of the device quickly dissolved into the background, the stillness of the room causing Keith to squirm uncomfortably.

“Feels so strange for you to be so quiet,” Keith murmured, hands picking at the cryo-pod suit he had yet to change out of. “We can never normally get you to shut up for more than ten seconds,” he laughed hollowly, “this must be a new record or something!” As if flipping a switch, Keith found himself speaking, discussing anything and everything that came to mind, just to be rid of that awful quiet. Slowly his back slumped into the seat and his head lolled to the side as his need for sleep finally caught up to him. He had never understood why they always felt the need to sleep after being out for so long in a cryo-pod. He gradually quietened, the one-sided conversation dying slowly as his pauses grew longer, a yawn occasionally punctuating them.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered as he finally drifted off. He didn’t know what he was apologising for. For not making it in time? For not saving Lance? Was he just sorry for him? That he was in this position in the first place? He fell asleep to these thoughts, which would continue to stay with him for weeks to come.

* * *

Keith’s routine changed after that night. He knew he couldn’t be with Lance all the time. He was still a paladin after all, and Zarkon wasn’t going to put his plans on hold for their recovery, in fact, if anything, he’d be preparing for another fight soon, whilst they were down a paladin. Allura had wondered whether she should pilot Blue until Lance awoke, but Keith didn’t agree. This was not the same as a paladin disappearing. Lance was right _there_ ; he was with them. Having Allura fly Blue would feel like they were replacing Lance. The others had argued that it wasn’t like that, uncertain how long they could carry on with one paladin down. Thankfully Blue seemed to agree with Keith, refusing to lower her barriers for the princess.

After another couple of days’ rest, Keith grew impatient. Unable to sit still any further, he started sparring once more in the training deck. Any spare time outside of training, he spent in Lance’s room, where he’d talk until he fell asleep. At first he had felt awkward, but after hearing the others come and chat to the sleeping paladin, he felt more at ease, no longer pausing as he waited for a response, but immediately filling in any gaps the conversation had. Although, he never spoke whenever the others were around. There were also times when Keith didn’t dare break the peace of the room, during which he would often fall asleep to the sound of Lance’s breathing.

A new habit which he had grown to have over the past couple of weeks was holding Lance’s hand. Although he was hooked up to monitors, it was nice to be assured that Keith would wake the moment anything happened. That was definitely the only reason. Though it was also nice that the contact let him relax and drift off peacefully, rather than into one of the nightmares which now haunted his sleep.

“Please, come back to us soon, Lance,” he muttered one night, eyes blinking slowly as they started to fall shut. “We need you… _I_ need you…” With that his breathing deepened, his thumb stilling from where it had been stroking across the back of Lance’s hand, yet his hand never released Lance’s as his body relaxed in sleep. He never gave up that small contact.

Keith did not wake when Coran came to check up on them, nor when he turned off the light.

Keith didn’t stir as the constant flashing blue light of the monitor switched to a constant glow.

He only twitched in his sleep when the hand he held tightened its hold on him.


	2. Deathly Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The bad ending.  
> Warning: Major Character Death

At some point Keith must’ve blacked out, as the next thing he knew, a jarring pain ripped through his chest as he bounced up and down. Head clouded with pain and unconsciousness still clawing at his mind, Keith could only just about recognise the jostling as him being carried. A groan hissed through his lips after a particularly bad jolt and he heard voices from above him. Their words were lost on him as he tried to quell the nausea rising in him. He knew there was something he should ask, it was on the tip of his tongue, something he _needed_ to know! ….Urghhh! Damn, what was it?! His mind was muddled, thoughts scattering as sounds seeped in and out of his awareness. He focused on his pain, the constant throb and ache grounding his thoughts, letting him piece his mind back together.

They’d been doing a raid when the Galra had ambushed them. The attack had come from nowhere and they had been left scattered, unable to reach their lions. Keith remembered their need to regroup, and how relieved he’d been when he’d found Lance- Lance! _Quiznak!_ How did he forget?! Was he with them? Keith could still see his crumpled form. Broken. Twisted. Still. But- but that didn’t have to mean-

He could feel his panic building, shallow breaths coming even shorter. He choked, teeth clenching at the pain that shot through his chest. This wasn’t the time for panicking, he needed to know that Lance was alright. Because he was. There wasn’t any other possibility, not with Lance.

He tried to speak, to call out to whoever was carrying him, but his mouth wouldn’t move, lips stiff and numb, unable to form the shapes he needed. In the end he could only wheeze, but as the jostling continued, he realised he hadn’t caught their attention.

Keith couldn’t pin down where the pain was coming from; he hurt all over, though some parts were blissfully numb. Whether that was actually a _good_ thing didn’t even cross his mind because he needed to know or at the very least _hear_ that Lance was alright. He tried to move his arms and legs, only to realise he couldn’t feel his right arm at all. However, he felt his other arm twitch, and with renewed determination, tried to move it more. He _had_ to get their attention. Keith tried to raise his hand, hoping the gesture would be enough, whilst praying he could stay conscious as pain spiked through his arm. After far too long, his hand finally started to raise, but immediately Keith’s arm began to burn. He clenched his jaw. It was fine. This was nothing. He could do this, he _had_ to.

He kept pulling his hand higher, waiting, _waiting_ for them to notice. Keith could feel his nausea returning as the struggle continued, his mind becoming hazy as exhaustion weighed down on him. He just had to last a little longer, just a bit more, then he could stop. His palm was still grazing against his armour. He couldn’t believe how little he had raised it.

Just as he finally lifted his hand from his stomach, the person carrying him adjusted their grip, rocking him slightly sideways, dislodging his arm which slipped to hang by his side. A broken cry was torn from throat as his chest screamed in agony. A voice sounded above him, louder and more frantic than before. Well, at least it had gotten their attention, but, Keith realised with dismay, it no longer mattered as his head suddenly clouded over and darkness engulfed him.

* * *

The first thing that he became aware of was a whirring, which was quickly replaced by the _swoosh_ of something sliding away. His body fell, released from its suspension, and Keith’s reflexes kicked in as his legs fumbled to keep himself upright. His eyes felt heavy as he opened them, a throbbing ache in his head starting as he heard voices sound from all around him, too jumbled for him to piece into sentences. He brought up his hand to rub against his brow in a futile attempt to stop his headache, the sight of his right arm sending a bizarre flood of relief through him.

“Enough, everyone! Give him space!” Keith’s eyes finally focused on the group around him, all eyes briefly on Shiro after his exclamation before they all snapped to back to Keith. He straightened up, his lips pulling into a small smile as he saw the concern in his team’s eyes.

“Hey,” he croaked, his throat itching with thirst. As if reading his mind, Pidge held a drink pouch out to him. He stepped forward to reach for it, only for his leg to collapse beneath him at the movement. He tensed for the fall, but two arms steadied him, Coran adjusting his grip so that Keith’s arm draped over his neck. Keith smiled gratefully at him as he finally took the drink. Having soothed his throat, Keith looked up again at them all. He had obviously just come out of a cryo-pod, the room and suit enough of a clue, but why? How long had he been in one?

“What happened?” Keith watched as the others flinched at his question, his brows furrowing in alarm, which only grew when no one immediately answered. “ _What?_ What is it?!” He looked to them all in turn, taking in their tired faces and slumped backs. His gaze settled on Shiro.

“Maybe you should get something to eat first. You’ve been out a while…” Keith stubbornly continued to stare Shiro down, the pull of his brows telling him that his glare was firmly in place. He watched as Shiro’s resolve finally crumbled, a heavy sigh leaving him as he broke eye contact. “The last mission didn’t go to plan. At all,” he started, voice laden with guilt. Keith softened his glare, knowing just how responsible Shiro always felt for the team.

“We were surrounded; the Galra separated us before we could react,” Pidge continued, catching Keith’s attention. As he turned, his eyes passed over Allura and Hunk. He frowned. Something wasn’t right.

He listened as they all began to recount the mission, his mind slowly waking up as they spoke. Meanwhile, his eyes continued to roam between them all. He was starting to remember the mission, bits and pieces of the battle flashing in his head as the others finally quietened.

“We eventually found the two of you-” _Two…? …! Lance!_ Where was Lance?!

“He’s-” Keith realised he must’ve shouted out the last question as he looked around to the other cryo-pods, dislodging himself from Coran, who immediately stopped speaking. Empty. All of them.

“Where is he?!” he snapped, turning back to the others, who all looked at him with wide eyes.

“Keith-!”

“Why isn’t he here?! He was _injured!_ ”

“Keith, buddy-” Keith moved away from Hunk’s slow advance. He didn’t need to be comforted, he needed answers.

“Just tell me where he is!”

“He’s not here, he’s-” Keith loomed over Pidge, grabbing her shoulder as he waited for her to finish.

“He’s, what?!” he asked, voice raising as his fear spiked. What did she mean “he’s not here”? “Where is he?!”

 _“KEITH!”_ Strong arms pulled him back and he struggled weakly against the hold. “Keith you need to calm down!” Shiro’s voice was stern and low, almost threatening in tone. “If you’d stop and _listen_ you’d know.” Keith took a shaky breath and tried to still his shaking, with little with success. After a few seconds of dreadful silence, Shiro released his hold and Keith turned slowly to face him.

“Lance is alive.” All the breath left Keith in an instant, the tension finally leaving him as his heart rate finally slowed from its thundering. Lance was alive. He was _alive_. The image of his body laying before him froze him for a second. When Keith had regained his composure, he looked back up at Shiro.

“Why isn’t he here?”

“He was,” Allura replied, causing Keith to twist around once more.

“He’s healed?!” he asked incredulously, the final dregs of fear trickling away.

“His wounds are closed and he’s breathing…” Keith immediately caught onto her wording. Something was still wrong.

“Where is he?” Allura opened her mouth to respond, but Hunk suddenly stepped forward.

“Maybe it’s better to show you?” After a few moments Allura sighed before nodding, turning back to Keith.

“Come, but I’ll warn you, he’s not… he’s not _with_ us.” Keith followed after her, unease growing as they made their way through the corridors, deeper into the Castle until they reached the hallway to their bedrooms. Allura brought up her hand to open Lance’s door, but stilled, glancing back at Keith once more before typing the code in. No one made any move to enter, instead motioning for Keith to go in. His eyes immediately locked onto Lance, his brow furrowing as he took in his outfit and the small device running across his chest.

“Guys, what…?”

“Keith,” it was Pidge again, “he- he’s in a coma. He won’t wake up…”

Keith stared as he tried to process the words. He turned back to Lance, taking slow steps forward, his legs carrying him clumsily to Lance’s bedside. Small white scars were scattered over his face, his limbs were all intact, his breathing deep and slow. For all intents and purposes, Lance was sleeping peacefully, his face soft and relaxed, no pain tensing his muscles nor contorting his expression. He reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder.

Keith thought vaguely that he heard his name being called, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Lance. The sleeping Lance, because surely this was just some joke, a bad prank that had gotten way out of hand. Keith gently rocked Lance’s shoulder, eyes fixed to his face watching, waiting for any sign of consciousness. He shook him slightly firmer, but there was still no response. He was just a deep sleeper, right?

“Hey, Lance.” Another shake. “Lance, that’s enough, this isn’t funny anymore.” Again. “Lance, come on, wake up!” Not a twitch, nor a sound came. Keith startled as a hand came to rest on his shoulder, he turned to find Hunk’s pained grimace.

“Keith, he won't…he’s not waking up, _yet_. Come on, you ought to eat.”

“But-“

“Don’t worry, we’ve got monitors to let us know the moment something changes,” he explained, gesturing at the device on Lance’s chest. Keith looked back down at Lance, but didn’t resist Hunk’s gentle guiding to the door and down to the dining room where he was sat down, a meal set before him. Keith felt like he couldn’t eat, mind still trying to process everything, yet his meal disappeared quicker than normal as he inhaled it.

After the meal, he ignored the other’s suggestions to rest and returned to Lance’s room, seating himself on the floor beside the bed. At some point, Shiro walked in pushing a chair, only pausing for a few seconds to lay his hand on Keith’s shoulder before leaving the two of them alone again.

The quiet buzzing of the device quickly dissolved into the background, the stillness of the room causing Keith to squirm uncomfortably.

“Feels so strange for you to be so quiet,” Keith murmured, hands picking at the cryo-pod suit he had yet to change out of. “We can never normally get you to shut up for more than ten seconds,” he laughed hollowly, “this must be a new record or something!” As if flipping a switch, Keith found himself speaking, discussing anything and everything that came to mind, just to be rid of that awful quiet. Slowly his back slumped into the seat and his head lolled to the side as his need for sleep finally caught up to him. He had never understood why they always felt the need to sleep after being out for so long in a cryo-pod. He gradually quietened, the one-sided conversation dying slowly as his pauses grew longer, a yawn occasionally punctuating them.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered as he finally drifted off. He didn’t know what he was apologising for. For not making it in time? For not saving Lance? Was he just sorry for him? That he was in this position in the first place? He fell asleep to these thoughts, which would continue to stay with him for weeks to come.

* * *

Keith’s routine changed after that night. He knew he couldn’t be with Lance all the time. He was still a paladin after all, and Zarkon wasn’t going to put his plans on hold for their recovery, in fact, if anything, he’d be preparing for another fight soon, whilst they were down a paladin. Allura had wondered whether she should pilot Blue until Lance awoke, but Keith didn’t agree. This was not the same as a paladin disappearing. Lance was right _there_ ; he was with them. Having Allura fly Blue would feel like they were replacing Lance. The others had argued that it wasn’t like that, uncertain how long they could carry on with one paladin down. Thankfully Blue seemed to agree with Keith, refusing to lower her barriers for the princess.

After another couple of days’ rest, Keith grew impatient. Unable to sit still any further, he started sparring once more in the training deck. Any spare time outside of training, he spent in Lance’s room, where he’d talk until he fell asleep. At first he had felt awkward, but after hearing the others come and chat to the sleeping paladin, he felt more at ease, no longer pausing as he waited for a response, but immediately filling in any gaps the conversation had. Although, he never spoke whenever the others were around. There were also times when Keith didn’t dare break the peace of the room, during which he would often fall asleep to the sound of Lance’s breathing.

A new habit which he had grown to have over the past couple of weeks was holding Lance’s hand. Although he was hooked up to monitors, it was nice to be assured that Keith would wake the moment anything happened. That was definitely the only reason. Though it was also nice that the contact let him relax and drift off peacefully, rather than into one of the nightmares which now haunted his sleep.

“Please, come back to us soon, Lance,” he muttered one night, eyes blinking slowly as they started to fall shut. “We need you… _I_ need you…” With that his breathing deepened, his thumb stilling from where it had been stroking across the back of Lance’s hand, yet his hand never released Lance’s as his body relaxed in sleep. He never gave up that small contact.

Keith did not wake when Coran came to check up on them, nor when he turned off the light.

Keith didn’t stir as the constant flashing blue light of the monitor turned erratic, before suddenly fading, casting the room into complete shadow.

He only twitched in his sleep at the sensation of the hand within his own growing cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read the other ending, let me know which you prefer!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!  
> Let me know what you thought in the comments, or feel free to send me a message on [my Tumblr](https://someonetheelusivefangirl.tumblr.com/) if you just fancy chatting.


End file.
